Cancer center has new weapon in its arsenal
St. Michael gains radiation machine that shrinks tumors and targets DNA of malignant cells
The W. Temple Webber Cancer Center at CHRISTUS St. Michael had an open house Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the launch of its $3 million Varian TrueBeam Linear Accelerator with RapidArc® technology and body surface imaging.
Used to treat cancer, the Varian TrueBeam® employs high energy radiation to shrink tumors and kills cancer cells by damaging cellular DNA with pinpoint accuracy and precision ensuring there is minimal damage to healthy cells.
“We’ll be able to serve over 200 folks this year,” said Chris Karam, president/ CEO of St. Michael Health System. “We don’t wish for people to have cancer but if they do they’ll be able to stay here and get care … and compassion.”
“It’s hugely important to us to be able to offer this type of advanced, leading edge technology and care right here in Texarkana,” Karam said. ” Because it’s not just important that we have this piece of equipment, it’s important that we can help our patients, their families, and this community and have a positive impact without someone having to travel or even relocate to seek treatment … ”
Karam thanked the donors that made getting the equipment possible including the Temple Webber Foundation that donated $1 million toward the project.
“We go way back with them and we’re so thankful for that relationship. It’s made a difference in the lives of thousands of people,” Karam said.
The team running the new accelerator includes Jeremy Dobbins, a medical physicist who collaborates with Dr. Omar Ishaq, a radiation oncologist to map out patients’ treatment plans. Having a medical physicist on-hand at
all times means the team can deliver more complex treatments where the margin for error is minimal.
Ishaq spoke at the open house. “Today is a huge day. … It’s an honor to be here and deliver care with my team. Everybody here deserves the best care and that’s now what we can do,” Ishaq said.
“We want to treat cancer, but more, we want to ensure quality of life for patients both during and after treatments,” Ishaq said. “Areas in close proximity to critical structures or significant changes in anatomy during the course of treatment can create challenging targets for clinicians during treatment. However, with TrueBeam, the integrated image guidance system helps ensure the patient’s tumor and normal organs are positioned with millimeter accuracy and motion is properly controlled during treatment. Even if the patient moves, the treatment will pause and reposition so that only the tumor is being treated.”